ATTACK ON CONVOY

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 142, 17 May 1941, Page 8

ATTACK ON CONVOY

SUCCESS OF EXPLOIT. (British Official Wireless.) (Ree. 11.28 a.m.) RUGBY, May 16. Details of the Bomber Command's attack on Thursday on a convoy of enemy supply ships north of the Frisian Islands leaves no doubt of the success of the operation. Two shijw of 5000 and 400 tons were left in flames and the third, of about 2000 tons, was sending up clouds of smoke. White and yellowish smoke came from the largest ship, followed by a sheet of flame. Flames were also licking out of the side of this ship between the deck and the water level. The second largest ship was attacked at the same time. The first attacking bomber flew so low that it carried away the ship’s wireless aerial. Bombs hit the ship and by the time the attack was over the vessel was well ablaze. A great deal of smoke poured up from the smaller ship immediately after an attack from a low level. DARING FLIGHT BY POLES. Members of the Polish Squadron of the Fighter Command did widespread damage when piloting three pairs of Spitfires They swept over the Channel and Northern France in daylight yesterday. They skimmed fields and hedges at high speed, picking out victims, and all returned within a few minutes of each other. Their exploits included shooting down a large three-engined troop-car-rier in flames, machine-gunning another troop-carrier which was taxi-ing across an aerodrome, setting a twofunnelled steamer on fire, machinegunning two other ships and an Eboat. and machine-gunning six Mcsser.sohmitt 109’s which were apparently filling up at a petrol station on an aerodrome.